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Going Down Under
  • Andrew Burrell
  • Ali Burrell

Going Down Under

Alison & Andrew’s antipodean Read more
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  • Going Down Under

    Boxing day

    Dec 26–Jan 7, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Woke up , lovely little swim in the pool followed by some fresh fruit for breakfast. Drove to Robert’s so A J & P could see his house then drove up to one tree hill or Mt Coot -Tha. Great views over Brisbane. We drove down into the city parked pretty easily, had lunch at the famous Regatta pub, before getting a river cat down the river. Lovely views of the river & embankments. Lots of bridges including the new kangaroo one. Pretty busy . Had a drink in one of the piers then walk along to the old customs house, where we picked up the boat back to where we come fromRead more

  • Going Down Under

    Gold Coast / Kirra Beach

    December 27, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Long drive down to the Gold Coast & Kirra beach, mainly due to the Christmas traffic heading to the coast. Arrived at Andrew & Jodie’s apartment on the 10th floor, stunning views of Kirra beach and to surfers paradise,.tad windy on the balcony . Walked to the surfers club for lunch & then stroll to a heritage viewing point for a few pics. Walked back along the sand and quick paddle in the Tasman sea before heading back, which was much quicker . Lovely family dinner that rounded off a really lovely day.Read more

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    Airlie beach

    December 28, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Said our goodbyes to our Brisbane family and headed for the airport, dropped off the car , hopped on a virgin plane to Proserpine 1.45 flight of 14 hrs by car .. quick transfer to Airlie beach & up a very steep hill to our apartment.. the views are incredible. Walked down to get groceries & wine but got a taxi back, best £4.50 I’ve spent as it is a very steep hill.. little jacuzzi before supper and a catch up with Gavin & StaceyRead more

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    Day 40

    December 29, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Chilled morning then as all brits do walked down the very steep hill in the hot sun.. iced coffee with cream & icecream & little tomato & mozzarella before Paige & I went off to the beach for a swim .. little bit of shopping followed by a dip in the poolRead more

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    Day 41- Airlie beach

    December 30, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Lovely homemade avocado smash for breakfast then cab down to the beach that we see in front of us.. reading book , swim in the warm sea , and a walk along the shore line.. some nice houses along the beach .. not many but quality over quantity.. walked to the end & round to the harbour and back .. little dark & stormy(cocktail ), with lunch .. sadly heard that a young girl had been stung by one of the poisonous jelly fish .. ambulance was in attendance.. this goes with the guy that had had his leg bitten of below his knee. Back up for a swim by the poolRead more

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    Trip to the Great Barrier Reef

    December 31, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    We’ve all been looking forward to this trip but it was so hard to decide what to do as there are so many different options & not all live up to their PR. We were on the boat & set off at 8am, picking up & dropping off guests for Hamilton island (1.5hrs away) before heading out to the GBR & Hardy Reef about another 1.5hr away from Hamilton. We moored up at a floating permanent pontoon close to the reef. On the way over Jack had signed up to do a scuba dive & Paige a snorkel safari. As both of us not keen in the water we signed up for a helicopter ride over the reef & Heart reef which A really wanted to see. Once moored up we went down into the underwater observation chamber & saw loads of fishes . It was then time to go for our flight, the helicopters were on separate pontoons & and a launch took us out to them. We were lucky being the only 2 in a brand new helicopter 🚁, only 2 weeks old. The flight was amazing smooth, low so that we could see so much, I was in the front with 360 views.. I saw some reef sharks, rays & a turtle 🐢 once I got used to picking them out. Perfect landing back on the pontoon. We then had a ride in the semi submersible that went out to the reef, though the tide was strong so not always clear, but we saw plate coral, brain & mushroom corals, a lot of it bleached sadly, but there were some blues & other colours.. & lots of parrot fish and other smaller fish. After lunch I put on my stinger suit to protect from box jelly fish & had a go at snorkelling 🤿.. it was busy & I am not the best swimmer but I managed glimpses of the coral & sea. Then it was time to return to Airlie.. 3hrs having covered 140 miles there and back. You can stay on the pontoon overnight which i imagine would be lovely once everyone had gone.
    As a young child I had a storybook called Digit Dick & the Great Barrier Reef 🪸, and this trip reminded me of this book & the adventures the boy had.
    Back on dry land it was time to party for NYE, the bars were already very busy so we decided to head back to our apartment. In oz there is a firework display for children in most places, & we watched Airlie’s from out balcony with a glass of fizz. After dinner we watched Sydney’s NYE fireworks as they are an hour ahead of Queensland, before watching Airlie’s fireworks at midnight .. all in all a fantastic day and great way to end the year    Read more

  • Going Down Under

    New years day

    January 1 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Has a lovely lie in , was very overcast . J&P headed off for town with an umbrella. Thunder started to roll around the bay and we could see rain in the distance. It was lovely to sit on the balcony listening to the thunder and then the rain. Our first rain for 43 days .. later in the afternoon the rain cleared & I walked down into the town for a mooch. Walked back up which was a killer , had a swim on the pool and the sun came out.. quick jacuzzi then supper.Read more

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    Hamilton & whitehaven beach

    January 2 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Another lovely day trip. Up & out early for the 7.30 not to Hamilton island for a half day there, followed by a half day to Whitehaven beach. Forecast was meant to be storms & rain, but we had perfect t weather all day. Hamilton was lovely though quite commercial hotels some luxurious some not so. Everyone seemed to have a golf buggy’s. We took the bus that was free & went for a tour around the island. Some beautiful spots including one tree hill & the bus driver let have a few moments taking pics. We went to the wildlife cafe after the bus tour for coffee & to view the kola’s and python. We paddle boarded in the sea at the resort, and swam up to the bar for a cocktail 🍹. Quick dash round for our fish & chips then the boat to Whitehaven. Whitehaven beach - boat pulled up to beach & we got off to glorious white sand. To be honest it didn’t have the wow factor that 7 mile beach had as there were a lot of people around, but it was beautiful when you got away from the crowds. I went paddle boarding but this time due to the jellyfish had to wear a stinger suit. I paddled too far down the beach & saw a lovely sting ray along with a jellyfish, though the 1 I saw was harmless. After a couple of hours it was time to go .. lovely afternoon & so pleased we managed to see both islandsRead more

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    Back to Brisbane

    January 3 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Time to leave Airlie beach. Packed up and walked our suit case down the steep hill to reception and left them there ready for our airport shuttle collection later. Walked down the hill and headed for some brunch by the harbour. No rain as forecasted, and we had a lovely leisurely breakfast. It was time to head for our shuttle bus and as we walked back the heavens opened and the rain came. J&P made it back to reception for the bus, no taxi’s to be had so we sheltered under the awning of the tattoo parlour hoping the bus would pick us up. We remained damp for the rest of the day including the flight back. On the way to the airport, a snake chanced its luck and slid across the road in front of the bus.
    Robert picked us up from the airport and gave us a tour of the city, before we headed out to for J&P ‘s last night dinner with everyone.
    Got up at 4am to say goodbye to J&P as they headed back to Vietnam 🇻🇳    Read more

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    Stradbroke island

    January 4 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    Off to Stradbroke island just across the sea from Brisbane with Robert & Schree. Little car ferry took us the 40 minute crossing.. little bit choppy. Robert gave us a quick tour of the island which has some beautiful views & beaches.. on one beach you can drive along the beach.. reminded me of the beach in Northumbria, without the cars but with warm sunshine. Hoping to go back and explore these beaches while we are here.Read more

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    Stradbroke 2

    January 5 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Breakfast on the balcony then short drive to lookout point and a walk around north & south gorge. Beautiful walk, with some stunning views of the sea. We saw turtle’s, sting rays, and manta rays and a dolphin along the coast walk.. it was great to see the turtles. We also saw a kangaroo on the coastal path. We had an iced coffee and drive around the island looking at some fab houses. We tried to get into the ship sailing club for lunch, having met some friends of Rob & Schree. Unfortunately they had run out of food so we moved to the brewery at Dunwich. Fabulous views across the bay to Brisbane in the distance. Food was very good as was the beer. We drove to brown lake, an inland freshwater water lake with a brown bottom caused by tea tree leaves falling into the lake.. the fresh leaves smelt great. Drinks on the balcony in the evening & nibbles. Lovely dayRead more

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    Stradbroke day3

    January 6 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Beach day.. went to Home beach close by.. beach was lovely, the sand so white, & silicone which squeaked under foot. Had a swim, the sea was blue , warm & rolling waves. I had a walk along the beach to Cylinder beach & watched the surfers. There is a sandbank in the beach which creates a lagoon to swim in.. lunch at the pub above the beach, chilled afternoon in the garden reading my bookRead more

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    Stradbroke day4

    January 7 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Went out to brown lake for a swim, hoping the tea tree leaves in the water would be healing.. lovely swim, fresh water & warm.. saw a couple of big guano’s . Visited R& S friends who live on the island, there house & upstairs decking looks out on the bush..they also had a lovely deer hound.
    After coffee & nibbles we had a drive back stopping off at scenic spots before collecting some big prawns.. we had a drive dead mans beach where cars or Utes can drive along .. back for supper, backgammon & a vino or 2    Read more

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    Last day on Straddie

    January 8 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We had to be out of the house by 9.30am. We had a last drive around the island, stopped at point look out, had a coffee and snack and then back on the ferry to Brisbane.
    We had a little cool down in the pool when we got back to Moya’s. All came to dinner, and we had a family photo. Met Sophie and Izzy.
    Later there was a big storm.    Read more

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    Back to Brisbane

    January 8 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Packed up, left the house we were staying in and headed out for breakfast. Had a little walk round the gorge & watched the surfers . Little baguette for lunch then headed back to the ferry for Brisbane. Rob took us on a scenic drive out to the lighthouse at Cleveland, suburb of Brisbane and back past the Gabba, (Brisbane cricket ground). Back to Moyà’s for a swim & supper with all the family.Read more

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    Tamborine mountain

    January 9 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Quite a wet night the night before & a lot of thunder & lightning. Got up to bright sunshine & Robert kindly took us to the airport to collect our hire car, nice BMW. Drove down towards the Gold Coast then up in to mountains, few steep hair pin bends, but very tropical. The rain came in and the mist descended, we did see above the clouds at one point. It felt very different here, reminded me of Happy Valley in Kenya, with colonial style estate houses . Found our accommodation at the Veranda House Estate.. it is very beautiful but the mist hid our views. There were a couple of hot tubs, a magnesium pool, and sauna. In the hot tub you can sit and look ok out across the tree canopy & to the buildings on the Gold Coast. There’s a lovely barn with arm chairs & a fire .. would love to have a place like this to run. Met the owner who was chopping up a tree which had come down in the winds & cyclone the other week causing damage. We went for a drive to North Tamborine, and bougie shops before returning to the hot tubs .. the mist lifted for an hour and revealed the very impressive view. dinner out, Mexican, most other places were closed.. mediocre but at least no Parmie. It’s lovely & quiet here and raining again.Read more

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    Tamborine mountain day 2

    January 10 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Lovely breakfast delivered to our door, the sun was shining and we sat on the veranda eating our breakfast. Went to the Tamborine skywalk which was fab. Walking above some of the trees lining the rain forest. Plenty of cicadas and beautiful butterflies. Some of the trees were huge and some of the walkways were very high. The canter lever walk out was very high and moved a lot. We then went to Curtis falls & I walked down to the waterfall and back. Back to the b&b for the hot tub & swim, chilled read our books before going out for dinner, slightly pretentious but good. Wagu beef was good.Read more

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    Gold coast

    January 11 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Rainy morning as we packed up to leave. Drove out to the mountain distillery to have a look, sadly no tasting as was driving. The weather was misty and wet so decided to drive down to the Gold Coast an hour away. Some steep declines as we went down.. drove along the ocean road looking at all the hotels & apartments, including the hotel they use for iam a celebrity.. drove along surfers paradise, little canals & waterways around us, through to Broadbeach. By now the sun was out and we sat watching the life guards, visited a local art gallery, then carried on driving along the coast road. Got to Miami Beach and checked it out, then the heavens opened and the rain came in. We liked this end of the Gold Coast as it’s very typical Miami Beach houses rather than the high rise tower blocks. Drove back to Brisbane, through the city and along the river. Lovely dinner at Rob & Schree’s.Read more

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    Shopping trip

    January 12 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Went to see Andrew for coffee. Shown round his lovely house and chatted to him and Sophie and Izzy.
    Drove to the Indooroopilly shopping centre to buy some presents to take back home .
    Drove back to Moyà’s for a rest, it rained, I had a nice walk down by the creek once the rain had stopped, not sure what was making the noise in the flood water.
    Rob & Schree popped over for supper. Feeling sad as our trip is nearly over.    Read more

  • Going Down Under

    Last day in Oz

    January 13 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Lovely day out with Robert driving us around, 1st stop out to the bush close to Kenmore, very like scenes from Deliverance.. then to where Schree works to say hi & coffee & cake. Picked up some Tim tams in Cole’s then headed out up through the National park to mount glorious. Had some great views across west to the great divide. Very rain Forresty, looked for kangaroos 🦘 none to be seen, plenty of lovely birds , and a Goannas or two. I ventured into the rain Forrest area but Robert advised not too, due to the amount of leeches. Came back down the mountain, some very steep roads with hair pin bends. It also poured with rain. As we drove back into Brisbane there was a police block doing breathalyser on all drivers.. no reason just stopping all drivers.. apparently this is the norm, needless to say all was good . Back to Moyà’s and we packed our suitcase ready for an early morning start. Dinner at the Kenmore Tavern with M, R & S . Very sad to say goodbye to R&S . Jack, (R&S son) came by to Moyà’s to say goodbye too, which was lovely.. will be sad to leave as Australia 🇦🇺 has far exceeded all expectations and we have had a ball being here.Read more

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    Singapore

    January 14 in Singapore ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Up at 5am for our next and last leg of our trip. Said our sad goodbyes to Moyà and drove off to the airport. Australian airports are so easy & Brisbane was quite quiet. Boarded our flight with Singapore airlines on their new A350, there was a delay as we sat there as a baggage handler had hit the side of the plane. We then had to leave the aircraft as they had to do a scan of the bodywork, once they had found someone to do it. Back on at 11.30 for our 7hr flight to Singapore.🇸🇬. Slightly bumpy at times over Oz & Indonesia due to weather. Rain ☔️ when we landed and got a taxi to the Marina Bay sands hotel. Was given an upgrade to a fabulous suite with entrance hallway, kitchen,dinning area, lounge , dressing room , enormous bathroom with spa bath and bedroom. We sat in our room looking over the city and watched the light show in the water below, our view looks out to Raffles and the Fullerton hotel as well as the lion by the water, we are on floor 44. We went up to the 57th floor for the infinity pool and had a cocktail and club sandwich looking over the bay / city and into Malaysia 🇲🇾.Read more

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    Singapore day 2

    January 15 in Singapore ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Breakfast in the main lobby after a lovely sleep in a suite.. queued for breakfast, seating capacity was pretty big. A fantastic choice of foods from all around the world, and freshly cooked items. Did pig out a bit..
    after breakfast went for a walk through to the shops- all the big names,Tiffany , Cartier, YSL, etc, just window shopped, some were decorating ready for the Chinese new year later this month. We headed to the top and came out to the warm humid air and walked around the lily pond and art museum, taking in the views.
    Retuned back to the hotel and went up to the pool, taking numerous pictures from the infinity pool. Cheeky cocktail by the pool before the rain came. We took refuge in one of the half covered nests looking out over the bay with all the ships in the bay. However, the rain got worse and we dashed back to the lifts and our room to dry off.
    Dinner was back on the roof, with a few lovely cocktails.🍹    Read more

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